Accreditation to the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

How Your Institution Can Become a GEF Agency and Have Direct Access to GEF Funding

Background Documents

GEF Focal Points and entities wishing to pursue

accreditation should familiarize themselves

with the following background documents:

Broadening the GEF Partnership under

Paragraph 28 of the GEF Instrument

GEF Instrument

GEF Policy on Environmental and Social

Safeguard Standards

GEF Policy on Gender Mainstreaming

GEF Minimum Fiduciary Standards

Accreditation Procedure for GEF Project

Agencies

Glossary of Terms and Descriptions Relating

to the Accreditation of GEF Project Agencies

GEF Practices on Disclosure of Information

These documents are available on the GEF

website: www.thegef.org.

Photo: UNEP/GRID-Arendal

For information on

accreditation, guidelines and

application forms, please visit:

http://www.thegef.org/gef/

agencies_accreditation

GEF Secretariat Contact:

Dr. Yasemin Biro,

Senior Environmental Specialist,

GEF Secretariat

1818 H Street, NW,

Mail Stop P4-400

Washington, DC 20433 USA

Tel: (202) 473-1550

Fax: (202) 522-3240/3245 Email: Ybiro@thegef.org

Broadening GEF Partnership

The GEF Council has approved, in May 2011, a pilot

to accredit new institutions to serve as GEF project

implementing partners. Accredited institutions will

be called “GEF Project Agencies.”

Upon accreditation, GEF Project Agencies will be

entitled to work directly with the GEF Secretariat

and Trustee to assist recipient countries in the

preparation and implementation of GEF-financed

projects. This will enable them to access resources

from GEF-managed trust funds directly.

Under the pilot, the GEF will be able to accredit up

to 10 institutions to serve as GEF Project Agencies,

with the goal of accrediting at least five national

institutions with a regional balance. Therefore,

applications from national institutions will have

priority in terms of review by the GEF Secretariat

and the GEF Accreditation Panel. The GEF will seek

to accredit at least one national institution from an

LDC and at least one from a lower-middle income

country.

Photo: Salvatore Vuono

Application Process

The Council will review applications for

accreditation at its meetings in spring 2012 and

fall 2012. Application will have two stages.

Applicants will need to submit a Stage 1

Application to the Secretariat by December 31,

2011 to be considered for the spring 2012 Council

Meeting. Applicants will need to submit a Stage 1

Application to the Secretariat by June 30, 2012 for

the fall 2012 Council Meeting.

A letter of support from a GEF country

Operational Focal Point (OFP) needs to be

submitted with Stage 1 Application. This letter is

to demonstrate that at least one GEF country OFP

supports the application. It must also identify an

idea for a initial GEF project with an indicative

amount of resources that could be allocated from

the country’s allocation, if the project were to be

developed.

If approved by the Council, Applicants will move

forward to Stage 2 of the Accreditation Process -

the GEF Accreditation Panel Review. At this stage,

applicants will need to pay an accreditation fee of

$25,000 . This fee will not be refunded, even if the

applicant fails to be accredited.

Photo: UNEP/GRID-Arendal

Eligibility

Institutions eligible for accreditation under the pilot are:

national institutions

regional organizations

civil society organizations/non-governmental

organizations

United Nations specialized agencies and programs

other international organizations

Each applicant will be assessed according to the degree to

which it adds value to the GEF partnership and aligns

strategically with the GEF’s objectives.

Value-added review criteria include:

Relevance to the GEF

Demonstration of Environmental or Climate Change

Adaptation Results

Scale of Engagement

Capacity to Leverage Co-financing

Institutional Efficiency

Networks and Contacts

To be accredited as a GEF Project Agency, applicants will

need to document that they can fully meet all of the GEF

Fiduciary Standards as well as applicable GEF

Environmental and Social Safeguards Standards.

Photo: UNEP/GRID-Arendal